MICHAEL BALLACK WILL START TODAY against Poland wearing the Germany No 13 shirt. This is a significant point because last weekend he wore an Italy T-shirt and when a photograph of the offending article appeared in Bild newspaper, it merely contributed further to the host nation’s identity crisis.

Was Ballack wrong to wear the shirt? Can Germans now express national pride without feeling self-conscious about it? These are the issues the hosts are dealing with, prompted by a surge of flag-waving patriotism the extent of which has surprised many.

It has got to the point, Jens Lehmann discovered, where the chewing gum that he spat out after Costa Rica’s second goal went past him in the game on Friday has appeared for auction on eBay. Even Berlin police have been flying the national colours from their cars, a point that has itself become a subject for debate. On Monday the chief of police banned any flag-waving and insisted on an image of neutrality. The following day, though, he was rebuked in the tabloid press and asked to lighten up.

The Ballack shirt is a fascinating case in point. Ballack’s explanation was that it was a lucky T-shirt because Germany last won the World Cup in Italy. Imagine if David Beckham came up with that.

But Jürgen Klinsmann, the Germany coach, leapt to his man’s defence yesterday. “I don’t think it should be a problem if people wear a T-shirt of another nation,” he said dismissively. “That is ludicrous.” Klinsmann’s attitude is that of the majority; most view the Ballack picture as press mischief as opposed to player misjudgment. But Klinsmann contributed further to the views expressed by Christoph Metzelder, the Germany defender, insisting that there should be no shame in the new patriotic fervour.

“We see what’s happening on TV: the streets, the World Cup parties, the flags everywhere, it is uplifting,” he said. “There is nothing wrong with the country experiencing a wave of enthusiasm. If the World Cup makes the country a little more patriotic, that’s fine. The bond that unites the team with the country is the common dream.”

Because he lives in California, Klinsmann has been criticised for being not German enough. “I put out the German flag on the fourth of July,” he said.

Miroslav Klose, the striker, moved to Germany from Poland when he was 8 and was grilled yesterday on the subject of the emotional tug-of-war between the countries. “I definitely love going to Poland,” Klose said. “I like the people. My aunt and uncle live there. I want to succeed with Germany, but I also love Poland as a country.”

The dichotomy is a subject of fascination to the German press. What they want to know is: how German really are you? What they asked was: would you have considered playing for Poland? (“I knew if I kept on improving, I’d have a chance with the German team.”) And: will you sing both national anthems? (“No,” he replied. “I don’t even know the other.”) Klose answered with unstinting patience thoughout. But it is a strange situation when you are facing a game of vast importance the next day and people want to know how genuinely you really want to beat the opposition.

The game certainly appears to be Germany’s for the taking. Germany have not lost to Poland in any of the 14 times they have met; they certainly showed the better in the first round of matches where the Poles lost to Ecuador. However, Klose compared the Poles to a wounded boxer: angry and in search of a winning punch. He also said that they would be “dangerous and out to win with a knife between their teeth”.

Furthermore, the day is a good one for Germany. Today is the 36th anniversary of the day West Germany beat England in the 1970 World Cup quarter-finals in Léon, Mexico.